Antenna-radiation-pattern selection for reduced interference

Abstract

An electronic device iteratively determines an optimal transmit antenna radiation pattern and an optimal receive antenna radiation pattern based on a feedback process with a second electronic device. First, the electronic device transmits outgoing messages to the second electronic device using a set of transmit antenna radiation patterns having different transmit spatial orientations. Based on throughput feedback from the second electronic device, the electronic device selects the optimal transmit antenna radiation pattern. Then, based on throughputs for incoming messages from the second electronic device that were received using a set of receive antenna radiation patterns having different receive spatial orientations, the electronic device selects the optimal receive antenna radiation pattern. Note that the transmit antenna radiation pattern and the receive antenna radiation pattern may reduce or eliminate interference between the electronic device and the second electronic device.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electronic device, comprising:
 an antenna that comprises multiple antenna elements; 
 control logic coupled to the antenna, wherein the control logic is configured to selectively adjust an antenna radiation pattern associated with the antenna; and 
 an interface circuit coupled to the antenna, wherein the interface circuit is configured to:
 transmit, to one or more output nodes of the electronic device, outgoing messages intended for a second electronic device and provide to the control logic signals to selectively adjust the antenna based on a set of transmit antenna radiation patterns having different transmit spatial orientations, wherein transmitting a given outgoing message in the outgoing messages involves selectively adjusting the antenna to have a given transmit antenna radiation pattern in the set of transmit antenna radiation patterns; 
 receive, from one or more input nodes of the electronic device, transmit feedback associated with the second electronic device about transmit throughputs associated with the set of transmit antenna radiation patterns; 
 receive, from the one or more input nodes, incoming messages associated with the second electronic device and provide to the control logic other signals to selectively adjust the antenna based on a set of receive antenna radiation patterns having different receive spatial orientations, wherein receiving a given incoming message in the incoming messages involves selectively adjusting the antenna to have a given receive antenna radiation pattern in the set of receive antenna radiation patterns; 
 determine receive throughputs associated with the set of receive antenna radiation patterns; 
 provide, to the one or more output nodes, receive feedback intended for the second electronic device about the receive throughputs associated with the set of receive antenna radiation patterns; and 
 select a transmit antenna radiation pattern based on the transmit throughputs associated with the set of transmit antenna radiation patterns and a receive antenna radiation pattern based on the receive throughputs associated with the set of receive antenna radiation patterns, wherein either or both of the transmit antenna radiation pattern and the receive antenna radiation pattern are further selected based on resource-management statistics of the electronic device and the second electronic device; 
 wherein the resource-management statistics are associated with a time interval longer than that associated with the transmitting, the receiving the transmit feedback, the receiving the incoming messages, the determining, the providing and the selecting; and 
 wherein the resource-management statistics comprise one or more of: physical block usage patterns over a time duration, observed traffic load for different channel-quality-indicator classes, or active user load. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the transmit antenna radiation pattern maximizes transmit throughput associated with the set of transmit antenna radiation patterns and the receive antenna radiation pattern maximizes receive throughput associated with the set of receive antenna radiation patterns. 
     
     
       3. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the transmit throughputs associated with the set of transmit antenna radiation patterns are based on a first number of blanked subcarriers in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication technique; and
 wherein the receive throughputs associated with the set of receive antenna radiation patterns are based on a second number of blanked subcarriers in the OFDM communication technique. 
 
     
     
       4. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the transmit antenna radiation pattern is selected in order to restrict a transmit signal associated with the outgoing messages to a predefined region. 
     
     
       5. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the transmit antenna radiation pattern and the receive antenna radiation pattern achieve one of: reduced interference between the electronic device and the second electronic device; and reduced interference between another system and the electronic device and the second electronic device. 
     
     
       6. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the transmit antenna radiation pattern is different from the receive antenna radiation pattern. 
     
     
       7. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the control logic is configured to selectively adjust the given transmit antenna radiation pattern and the given receive antenna radiation pattern associated with the antenna by selectively turning on and selectively turning off subsets of the antenna elements. 
     
     
       8. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the interface circuit is configured to:
 communicate, at the one or more input nodes and the one or more output nodes, with one or more portable electronic devices; and 
 repeat the transmitting the outgoing messages and providing the signals to selectively adjust the antenna, the receiving the transmit feedback, the receiving the incoming messages and providing the other signals to selectively adjust the antenna, the determining the receive throughputs, the providing the receive feedback, and the selecting the transmit antenna radiation pattern and the receive antenna radiation pattern. 
 
     
     
       9. The electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the transmit throughputs associated with the set of transmit antenna radiation patterns are based on a first number of blanked subcarriers in an OFDM communication technique; and
 wherein the receive throughputs associated with the set of receive antenna radiation patterns are based on a second number of blanked subcarriers in the OFDM communication technique. 
 
     
     
       10. The electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the transmit antenna radiation pattern and the receive antenna radiation pattern reduce interference between the electronic device and the one or more portable electronic devices. 
     
     
       11. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the interface circuit further comprises:
 a processor; and 
 a memory, coupled to the processor, which stores program instructions, wherein, when executed by the processor, the program instructions cause the electronic device to transmit the outgoing messages and provide the signals to selectively adjust the antenna, receive the transmit feedback, receive the incoming messages and provide the other signals to selectively adjust the antenna, determine the receive throughputs, provide the receive feedback, and select the transmit antenna radiation pattern and the receive antenna radiation pattern. 
 
     
     
       12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use in conjunction with an electronic device, the computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions to select a transmit antenna radiation pattern and a receive antenna radiation pattern, wherein, when executed by the electronic device, the program instructions causes the electronic device to perform operations comprising:
 transmitting, to one or more output nodes of the electronic device, outgoing messages intended for a second electronic device and provide signals to selectively adjust an antenna based on a set of transmit antenna radiation patterns having different transmit spatial orientations, wherein transmitting a given outgoing message in the outgoing messages involves selectively adjusting the antenna to have a given transmit antenna radiation pattern in the set of transmit antenna radiation patterns; 
 receiving, from one or more input nodes of the electronic device, transmit feedback associated with the second electronic device about transmit throughputs associated with the set of transmit antenna radiation patterns; 
 receiving, from the one or more input nodes, incoming messages associated with the second electronic device and provide other signals to selectively adjust the antenna based on a set of receive antenna radiation patterns having different receive spatial orientations, wherein receiving a given incoming message in the incoming messages involves selectively adjusting the antenna to have a given receive antenna radiation pattern in the set of receive antenna radiation patterns; 
 determining receive throughputs associated with the set of receive antenna radiation patterns; 
 providing, to the one or more output nodes, receive feedback intended for the second electronic device about the receive throughputs associated with the set of receive antenna radiation patterns; and
 selecting the transmit antenna radiation pattern based on the transmit throughputs associated with the set of transmit antenna radiation patterns and the receive antenna radiation pattern based on the receive throughputs associated with the set of receive antenna radiation patterns, wherein either or both of the transmit antenna radiation pattern and the receive antenna radiation pattern are further selected based on resource-management statistics of the electronic device and the second electronic device; 
 wherein the resource-management statistics are associated with a time interval longer than that associated with the transmitting, the receiving the transmit feedback, the receiving the incoming messages, the determining, the providing and the selecting; and 
 
 wherein the resource-management statistics comprise one or more of: physical block usage patterns over a time duration, observed traffic load for different channel-quality-indicator classes, or active user load. 
 
     
     
       13. The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 12 , wherein the transmit antenna radiation pattern maximizes transmit throughput associated with the set of transmit antenna radiation patterns and the receive antenna radiation pattern maximizes receive throughput associated with the set of receive antenna radiation patterns. 
     
     
       14. The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 12 , wherein the transmit throughputs associated with the set of transmit antenna radiation patterns are based on a first number of blanked subcarriers in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication technique; and
 wherein the receive throughputs associated with the set of receive antenna radiation patterns are based on a second number of blanked subcarriers in the OFDM communication technique. 
 
     
     
       15. The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 12 , wherein the transmit antenna radiation pattern is selected in order to restrict a transmit signal associated with the outgoing messages to a predefined region. 
     
     
       16. The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 12 , wherein the transmit antenna radiation pattern and the receive antenna radiation pattern achieve one of: reduced interference between the electronic device and the second electronic device; and reduced interference between another system and the electronic device and the second electronic device. 
     
     
       17. The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 12 , wherein the transmit antenna radiation pattern is different from the receive antenna radiation pattern. 
     
     
       18. The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 12 , wherein the electronic device selectively adjusts the given transmit antenna radiation pattern and the given receive antenna radiation pattern associated with the antenna by selectively turning on and selectively turning off subsets of antenna elements in the antenna. 
     
     
       19. The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 12 , wherein, when executed by the electronic device, the operations comprise:
 communicating, at the one or more input nodes and the one or more output nodes, with one or more portable electronic devices; and 
 repeating the transmitting the outgoing messages and providing the signals to selectively adjust the antenna, the receiving the transmit feedback, the receiving the incoming messages and providing the other signals to selectively adjust the antenna, the determining the receive throughputs, the providing the receive feedback, and the selecting the transmit antenna radiation pattern and the receive antenna radiation pattern. 
 
     
     
       20. A method for selecting a transmit antenna radiation pattern and a receive antenna radiation pattern, wherein the method comprises:
 by an electronic device: 
 transmitting, to one or more output nodes of the electronic device, outgoing messages intended for a second electronic device and providing to signals to selectively adjust an antenna based on a set of transmit antenna radiation patterns having different transmit spatial orientations, wherein transmitting a given outgoing message in the outgoing messages involves selectively adjusting the antenna to have a given transmit antenna radiation pattern in the set of transmit antenna radiation patterns; 
 receiving, from one or more input nodes of the electronic device, transmit feedback associated with the second electronic device about transmit throughputs associated with the set of transmit antenna radiation patterns; 
 receiving, from the one or more input nodes, incoming messages associated with the second electronic device and providing other signals to selectively adjust the antenna based on a set of receive antenna radiation patterns having different receive spatial orientations, wherein receiving a given incoming message in the incoming messages involves selectively adjusting the antenna to have a given receive antenna radiation pattern in the set of receive antenna radiation patterns; 
 determining receive throughputs associated with the set of receive antenna radiation patterns; 
 providing, to the one or more output nodes, receive feedback intended for the second electronic device about the receive throughputs associated with the set of receive antenna radiation patterns; and
 selecting the transmit antenna radiation pattern based on the transmit throughputs associated with the set of transmit antenna radiation patterns and the receive antenna radiation pattern based on the receive throughputs associated with the set of receive antenna radiation patterns, wherein either or both of the transmit antenna radiation pattern and the receive antenna radiation pattern are further selected based on resource-management statistics of the electronic device and the second electronic device; 
 wherein the resource-management statistics are associated with a time interval longer than that associated with the transmitting, the receiving the transmit feedback, the receiving the incoming messages, the determining, the providing and the selecting; and 
 wherein the resource-management statistics comprise one or more of: physical block usage patterns over a time duration, observed traffic load for different channel-quality-indicator classes, or active user load. 
 
 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 20 , wherein the transmit throughputs associated with the set of transmit antenna radiation patterns are based on a first number of blanked subcarriers in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication technique; and
 wherein the receive throughputs associated with the set of receive antenna radiation patterns are based on a second number of blanked subcarriers in the OFDM communication technique. 
 
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 20 , wherein the transmit antenna radiation pattern and the receive antenna radiation pattern achieve one of: reduced interference between the electronic device and the second electronic device; and reduced interference between another system and the electronic device and the second electronic device. 
     
     
       23. An electronic device, comprising:
 one or more nodes configured to couple to an antenna that comprise multiple antenna elements; 
 control logic, coupled to the one or more nodes, configured to selectively adjust an antenna radiation pattern associated with the antenna; and 
 an interface circuit coupled to the one or more nodes, wherein the interface circuit is configured to:
 transmit, to the one or more nodes, outgoing messages intended for a second electronic device and provide to the control logic signals to selectively adjust the antenna based on a set of transmit antenna radiation patterns having different transmit spatial orientations, wherein transmitting a given outgoing message in the outgoing messages involves the control logic selectively providing control signals that correspond to a given transmit antenna radiation pattern of the antenna in the set of transmit antenna radiation patterns; 
 receive, from the one or more nodes, transmit feedback associated with the second electronic device about transmit throughputs associated with the set of transmit antenna radiation patterns; 
 receive, from the one or more nodes, incoming messages associated with the second electronic device and provide to the control logic other signals to selectively adjust the antenna based on a set of receive antenna radiation patterns having different receive spatial orientations, wherein receiving a given incoming message in the incoming messages involves the control logic selectively providing second control signals corresponding to a given receive antenna radiation pattern of the antenna in the set of receive antenna radiation patterns; 
 determine receive throughputs associated with the set of receive antenna radiation patterns; 
 provide, to the one or more nodes, receive feedback intended for the second electronic device about the receive throughputs associated with the set of receive antenna radiation patterns; and 
 select a transmit antenna radiation pattern based on the transmit throughputs associated with the set of transmit antenna radiation patterns and a receive antenna radiation pattern based on the receive throughputs associated with the set of receive antenna radiation patterns, wherein either or both of the transmit antenna radiation pattern and the receive antenna radiation pattern are further selected based on resource-management statistics of the electronic device and the second electronic device; 
 wherein the resource-management statistics are associated with a time interval longer than that associated with the transmitting, the receiving the transmit feedback, the receiving the incoming messages, the determining, the providing and the selecting; and 
 wherein the resource-management statistics comprise one or more of: physical block usage patterns over a time duration, observed traffic load for different channel-quality-indicator classes, or active user load.